Compact thermally controlled thin film resistors utilizing substrate contacts and methods of manufacture

ABSTRACT

A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes forming a resistor on an insulator layer over a substrate, and forming at least one dielectric layer over the resistor. The method also includes forming a substrate contact through the at least one dielectric layer, through the resistor, through the insulator layer, and into the substrate. The substrate contact comprises a high thermal conductivity material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.13/008,465 filed Jan. 18, 2011, the contents of which are expresslyincorporated by reference herein in their entirety

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to semiconductor structures and methods ofmanufacture and, more particularly, to thermal control of thin filmresistors using substrate contacts and methods of manufacture.

BACKGROUND

Specific structures on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates tend tohave problems with heat accumulation from self-heating due to the verylow thermal conductivity of the SOI substrate. This presents particularissues with the maximum allowed current density of thermally sensitivestructures. The heat accumulation presents particular problems with DCstructures such as, for example, some precision resistors (e.g., thinfilm resistors).

Precision resistors are in general use in Si-based microelectronicsintegrated circuit chips. These resistors are frequently fabricated frompolysilicon layers deposited on the chip, but they can also be made fromdiffused silicon (Si) layers in SOI wafers. These resistors produce heatwhen current flows through them. In particular, polysilicon and diffusedresistors, especially those formed on SOI wafers, heat up rapidly withincreasing current density. Although the resistor itself can toleraterelatively high temperatures without suffering damage, wiring on thevarious metallization levels above and nearby the resistors becomes muchmore vulnerable to failure by electromigration due to the heating causedby the resistor. Generally, a temperature increase of 5° C. in a metalline can decrease the lifetime of the line by 25 to 30%. The generatedheat can also permanently alter the value of the resistance of theresistor by changing the grain size of the polysilicon, by burning outportions (or all) of the film and by redistributing the dopant atoms.Consequently, limiting the current through the resistor protects boththe resistor stability and the integrity of the nearby metallization.

However, limiting the current through a resistor is at odds with thecontinued drive toward circuit miniaturization and the trend towardprogressively greater current densities for high-performance circuits.The miniaturization of features typically involves reducing the filmthickness in which resistors are formed, which tends to increase currentdensity, which causes the resistor to generate more heat.

Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficienciesand limitations described hereinabove.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the invention, a method of forming a semiconductorstructure comprises forming a resistor on an insulator layer over asubstrate, and forming at least one dielectric layer over the resistor.The method also comprises forming a substrate contact through the atleast one dielectric layer, through the resistor, through the insulatorlayer, and into the substrate. The substrate contact comprises a highthermal conductivity material.

In another aspect of the invention a method of forming a semiconductorstructure comprises forming a resistor on an insulator layer over asubstrate, and forming a resistor trench in the resistor. The methodalso comprises forming a dielectric layer on the resistor and in theresistor trench, and forming a substrate contact through the dielectriclayer, through the insulator layer, and into the substrate. Thesubstrate contact comprises a high thermal conductivity material.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a semiconductor structurecomprises a resistor on an insulator layer over a substrate, and atleast one dielectric layer over the resistor. The structure alsocomprises a substrate contact extending through the at least onedielectric layer, through the resistor, through the insulator layer, andinto the substrate. The substrate contact comprises a high thermalconductivity material.

In another aspect of the invention, a design structure tangibly embodiedin a machine readable storage medium for designing, manufacturing, ortesting an integrated circuit is provided. The design structurecomprises the structures of the present invention. In furtherembodiments, a hardware description language (HDL) design structureencoded on a machine-readable data storage medium comprises elementsthat when processed in a computer-aided design system generates amachine-executable representation of a resistor and substrate contact,which comprises the structures of the present invention. In stillfurther embodiments, a method in a computer-aided design system isprovided for generating a functional design model of the resistor andsubstrate contact. The method comprises generating a functionalrepresentation of the structural elements of the resistor and substratecontact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in the detailed description whichfollows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 1-13 show processing steps and structures in accordance withaspects of the invention;

FIGS. 14-20 show processing steps and structures in accordance withadditional aspects of the invention; and

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram of a design process used in semiconductordesign, manufacture, and/or test.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to semiconductor structures and methods ofmanufacture and, more particularly, to thermal control of thin filmresistors using substrate contacts and methods of manufacture. Inaccordance with aspects of the invention, a substrate contact is formedthrough the body of the resistor. In embodiments, the substrate contactis electrically isolated from the resistor and provides a low thermalresistance heat path from the resistor to the substrate. Inimplementations, the substrate contact comprises a liner composed of anelectrical insulator material and a core composed of a high thermalconductivity material. In this manner, implementations of the inventionprovide a low thermal resistance heat dissipation path from a resistorto a substrate, which enhances the thermal control (e.g., cooling) ofthe resistor.

Resistive heating is a physical consequence of electric current passingthrough the material of a resistor. Polysilicon resistors typicallyreside on an insulator layer (e.g., SiO₂ or similar material) above anSi substrate. Heat generated in the resistor spreads by thermalconduction into the surrounding oxide and from the oxide into the Sisubstrate. Heat generated during resistive heating may flow directlythrough the oxide between the resistor and the substrate. The heat mayalso flow out of the top and the side edges of the resistor. As such,there are top, side, and bottom heat conduction paths from the resistor.Most of the heat generated in a resistor flows into the Si substratethrough the underlying shallow trench isolation (STI) and buried oxide(BOX) films. Heat that flows upward is typically dissipated by flowinglaterally and then back to the substrate, which constitutes a much morethermally resistive path than simply flowing out beneath the resistor.

Implementations of the invention provide a heat dissipation path fromthe resistor to the substrate by providing a substrate contact throughan active area of the resistor and into the substrate. In accordancewith aspects of the invention, the substrate contact comprises a highthermal conductivity material having a lower thermal resistance than theSTI and/or BOX materials that heat typically flows through whendissipating from a resistor. The substrate contact need not beelectrically connected to any other devices in the chip, and may be usedprimarily as a heat conduction pathway for transferring heat away fromthe resistor. In embodiments, the substrate contact provides a thermalconduction path from the resistor to the substrate, and thus reduces theresistor temperature significantly. In this manner, a resistor may becooled more effectively, which advantageously permits the currentdensity in the resistor to be increased.

FIGS. 1-13 show processing steps and structures in accordance withaspects of the invention. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows an exemplary SOIwafer 10 employed as an intermediate structure in implementations of theinvention. The SOI wafer 10 has a bulk semiconductor substrate 15, whichis typically a silicon substrate, a buried insulator layer 20 formed onthe substrate 15, and a semiconductor layer 25, which is typically asilicon layer, formed on the buried insulator layer 20. The SOI wafer 10may be fabricated using techniques well know to those skilled in theart. For example, the SOI wafer 10 may be formed by conventionalprocesses including, but not limited to, oxygen implantation (e.g.,SIMOX), wafer bonding, etc.

The constituent materials of the SOI wafer 10 may be selected based onthe desired end use application of the semiconductor device. Forexample, the substrate 15 may be composed of any suitable materialincluding, but not limited to, Si, SiGe, SiGeC, SiC, GE alloys, GaAs,InAs, InP, and other III/V or II/VI compound semiconductors. The buriedinsulator layer 20 may be composed of oxide, such as SiO₂, and may bereferred to as a buried oxide (BOX) layer 20. Moreover, although the SOIwafer is referred to as “silicon on insulator,” the semiconductor layer25 is not limited to silicon. Instead, the semiconductor layer 25 may becomprised of various semiconductor materials, such as, for example, Si,SiGe, SiC, SiGeC, etc.

In embodiments, the SOI wafer 10 has a thickness of about 700 μm, withthe BOX layer 20 having a thickness of about 0.15 μm, and thesemiconductor layer 25 having a thickness of about 0.08 μm. However, theinvention is not limited to these dimensions, and the various portionsof the SOI wafer may have any desired thicknesses based upon theintended use of the final semiconductor device.

As shown in FIG. 2, a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure 30 isformed in the wafer 10, and a resistor 35 is formed on the STI 30. TheSTI 30 may be a conventional shallow trench isolation structure formedusing conventional semiconductor fabrication processes and materials.For example, the STI 30 may be formed by arranging a photoresistmaterial on the semiconductor layer 25, exposing and developing thephotoresist, etching an STI trench in the semiconductor layer 25 throughthe patterned photoresist (e.g., using a reactive ion etch (RIE)process), stripping the photoresist, filling the trench with an STImaterial (e.g., SiO₂), and planarizing the top surface of the structure(e.g., via chemical mechanical polish (CMP)). The STI 30 locallyreplaces a portion of the semiconductor layer 25.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the resistor 35 may also be formed usingconventional semiconductor fabrication processes and materials. Forexample, the resistor 35 may comprise electrically conductive dopedpolysilicon and may be formed by depositing a polysilicon film on theSTI 30 (e.g., using chemical vapor deposition (CVD)), patterning thepolysilicon film (e.g., using photolithographic masking and etching),and doping the polysilicon film (e.g., using ion implantation, gasdiffusion doping, in-situ doping, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 3, a first dielectric layer 40 is formed over theresistor 35 and portions of the semiconductor layer 25 and STI 30. Thefirst dielectric layer 40 may be formed using conventional semiconductorfabrication processes and materials. For example, the first dielectriclayer 40 may comprise one or more layers of oxide, nitride, andoxynitride that are formed using, e.g., CVD. In embodiments, the firstdielectric layer 40 comprises a thin oxide film 40 a formed on theresistor 35 and portions of the semiconductor layer 25 and STI 30, and anitride layer 40 b deposited on the oxide film 40 a. The oxide film 40 amay have a thickness of about 3 nm, and the nitride layer 40 b may havea thickness of about 20-30 nm, although the invention is not limited tothese dimensions and any suitable thicknesses may be employed within thescope of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, holes 45 are formed in the first dielectric layer40, and silicide contacts 50 are formed on the resistor 35. The holes 45are formed in the first dielectric layer 40 to define locations for thesilicide contacts 50. The holes 45 and silicide contacts 50 may beformed using conventional semiconductor fabrication processes andmaterials. For example, the holes 45 may be formed in any suitablemanner, including photolithographic masking and etching, laser ablation,gas cluster ion beam, etc. The silicide contacts 50 may be formed bydepositing a metal film, such as cobalt, titanium, tungsten, or nickel,on the exposed polysilicon of the resistor 35 within the holes 45, andannealing the structure to create silicide.

As shown in FIG. 5, a second dielectric layer 55 is formed on theexposed surfaces of the structure, a third dielectric layer 60 is formedon the second dielectric layer 55, and contacts 65 are formed in thelayers 40, 55, and 60. The second and third dielectric layers 55 and 60may be composed of any suitable dielectric materials and may be formedusing conventional semiconductor fabrication techniques, such as CVD. Inembodiments, the second dielectric layer 55 is composed of nitride, andthe third dielectric layer 60 is composed of silicon dioxide (SiO₂),borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), or low-k dielectric material; however,the invention is not limited to this configuration and othercombinations of materials may be used within the scope of the invention.

The contacts 65 provide electrical contact to the resistor 35 bydirectly contacting the silicide contacts 50. The contacts 65 may beformed by forming trenches in the dielectric layers 40, 55, and 60 toexpose the silicide contacts 50, and filling the trenches with anelectrically conductive material. For example, trenches for the contacts65 may be formed in the dielectric layers 40, 55, and 60 by masking thestructure and etching unmasked portions of the dielectric layers 40, 55,and 60 using one or more conventional etch processes (e.g., RIE). Forexample, a respective RIE process may be performed for etching each ofthe dielectric layers 40, 55, and 60, with each respective RIE processbeing tailored to the material of the layer being etched. Alternatively,a single RIE process may be used to etch more than one layer. Thecontacts 65, in turn, may be formed by depositing (e.g., using CVD) anelectrically conductive material (e.g., tungsten) in the trenches. Inembodiments, the contacts 65 may be in the form of a plurality of vias(e.g., an array of small pillars with a minimum diameter dependent onthe technology, for example 0.25 μm in diameter) or in the form of asolid bar.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the use of multipledielectric layers (e.g., dielectric layers 40, 55, and 60) facilitatesthe simultaneous creation of the contacts 65. The multiple dielectriclayer overlap causes the etch of the contact trenches to self arrest,such that the etch does not etch through the whole nitride stack.Moreover, using nitride in dielectric layers 40 and 55 enhances the heatconduction since nitride is generally a better thermal conductor thanoxide.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, and as shown in FIG. 6, asubstrate contact trench 70 is formed in the dielectric layers 40, 55,and 60, the resistor 35, the STI 30, the BOX layer 20, and into thesubstrate 15. In embodiments, the substrate contact trench 70 is formedusing one or more RIE processes. For example, a respective RIE processmay be performed for etching each of the dielectric layers 40, 55, and60, the resistor 35, the STI 30, the BOX layer 20, and the substrate 15,with each respective RIE process being tailored to the material of thelayer/feature being etched. Additionally, a single RIE process may beused to etch more than one layer/feature. For example, in embodiments,the first and second dielectric layers 40 and 55 comprise nitride, and asingle RIE process may be used to etch the substrate contact trench 70in these layers.

The substrate contact trench 70 may have any desired size and shape, andmore than one substrate contact trench 70 may be formed. In accordancewith aspects of the invention, the substrate contact trench 70 may belocated anywhere within or overlapping the footprint (e.g., top-downplan view) of the resistor 35. In embodiments, the substrate contacttrench 70 creates a hole through the resistor 35, but does not bisectthe resistor 35.

As shown in FIG. 7, an insulator film 75 (e.g., liner) is formed onexposed surfaces of the structure, including a base 80 and sidewalls 85of the substrate contact trench 70. In embodiments, the insulator film75 is composed of an electrically non-conductive material, such asoxide, nitride, oxynitride, or other dielectric material. The insulatorfilm 75 may be formed using conventional semiconductor fabricationprocesses, depending on the material composition of the insulator film75. For example, the insulator film 75 may be composed of oxide that isthermally grown (e.g., thermal oxidation) on the exposed surfaces of thestructure. In another example, the insulator film 75 may be composed ofoxide, nitride, or oxynitride that is deposited using CVD or othersuitable conformal deposition process. The insulator film 75 may haveany suitable thickness, as described in greater detail herein.

As shown in FIG. 8, and in accordance with aspects of the invention, aportion of the insulator film 75 is removed from the base 80 of thesubstrate contact trench 70, while leaving another portion of theinsulator film 75 on the sidewalls 85 of the substrate contact trench70. In embodiments, a directional RIE process is used to remove theportion of the insulator film 75 from the base 80; however, othersuitable removal processes may be used within the scope of theinvention. The removal process may also remove the insulator film 75from the top of the third dielectric layer 60.

As shown in FIG. 9, a core 90 is formed in the substrate contact trench70 on the insulator film 75. In accordance with aspects of theinvention, the core 90 comprises a high thermal conductivity materialincluding, but not limited to, polysilicon, tungsten, copper, aluminum,silver, gold, and combinations thereof. In embodiments, the core 90 iscomposed of polysilicon and is formed using a CVD process, althoughother high thermal conductivity materials may be provided using otherformation processes. More specifically, according to aspects of theinvention, the core 90 is composed of any suitable material that has athermal conductivity that is substantially greater than the thermalconductivity of the material(s) of the BOX layer 20 and STI 30 (e.g.,SiO₂). Table 1 shows the thermal conductivity of various materials.

TABLE 1 Thermal Conductivity Material (w/m · K) Glass (e.g., SiO₂) 1.1Silicon 149 Tungsten 173 Aluminum (pure) 237 Gold 318 Copper 401 Silver429

As is evident from Table 1, polysilicon (e.g., silicon), tungsten,copper, aluminum, silver, and gold each has a thermal conductivitysubstantially greater than that of SiO₂, and thus may be considered ashigh thermal conductivity materials. Accordingly, in embodiments, thecore 90 is composed of polysilicon, tungsten, copper, aluminum, silver,gold, or combinations thereof. In accordance with aspects of theinvention, the substrate contact trench 70 that is filled with theinsulator film 75 and the core 90 constitutes a substrate contact 93that provides a heat conduction pathway from the resistor 35 to thesubstrate 15.

Still referring to FIG. 9, the deposition of the core 90 may result inthe formation of excess material on the upper surface of the thirddielectric layer 60. The excess material may be removed using aconventional process, such as an endpoint etch or CMP process.

As shown in FIG. 10, metal layer 100 is formed on the third dielectriclayer 60 and in contact with the contacts 65, and an interleveldielectric (ILD) 105 is formed over the entire structure. The metallayer 100 may be formed in any conventional manner, such as, forexample, CVD and patterning. The metal layer 100 may be a layer ofcopper (Cu) or any other desired electrically conductive material, andprovides electrical communication to the resistor 35 without contactingthe substrate contact 93. The ILD 105 may be formed using conventionalsemiconductor fabrication techniques, and may be composed of anysuitable dielectric material, such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂),tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG),hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ), etc.

FIG. 11 shows a plan view (not to scale) corresponding to the structureof FIG. 10 with the resistor 35, contacts 65, and substrate contact 93shown in dashed lines. It can be seen in FIGS. 10 and 11 that thesubstrate contact 93 is in direct contact with the resistor 35, suchthat the substrate contact 93 forms a heat conduction path from theresistor 35 to the substrate 15.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the insulator film 75electrically insulates the resistor 35 from the core 90, such that anelectrically conductive material may be used as the high thermalconductivity material in the core 90 without shorting the resistor 35.In embodiments, the insulator film 75 has a thickness that is sufficientto provide electrical insulation between the resistor 35 and the core90, and that is less than the combined thickness of the STI 30 and BOXlayer 20. By being less thick (e.g., thinner) than the STI 30 and BOXlayer 20, the insulator film 75 provides less thermal resistance thanthe STI 30 and BOX layer 20, such that heat may flow through theinsulator film 75 and core 90 and into the substrate 15. In particularembodiments, the insulator film 75 has a thickness “t” of about 0.03 μmto about 0.1 μm, although the invention is not limited to this range andany suitable thickness may be used.

In implementations, the resistor 35 and the substrate contact 93 may beof any desired size and shape. For example, the resistor 35 may besubstantially rectangular with a width “Rw” of about 10 μm and a length“Rl” of about 2 μm, and the substrate contact 93 may have a width “SCw”of about 0.5 μm and a length “SCl” of about 0.5 μm. However, theinvention is not limited to this exemplary configuration, and anysuitable size and shape may be used for the resistor 35 and thesubstrate contact 93. Moreover, the respective sizes and shapes of theresistor 35 and the substrate contact(s) 93 may be tailored to achieve aparticular electrical resistance and heat transfer for the resistor 35.For example, FIG. 12 shows an implementation comprising a substratecontact 93′ having an elongated shape parallel to the direction ofcurrent flow in the resistor 35′. FIG. 13 shows an implementationcomprising a plurality of substrate contacts 93″ arranged in a patternaccording to predetermined hot-spots in the resistor 35″.

FIGS. 14-20 show processing steps and respective structures inaccordance with additional aspects of the invention in which likereference characters refer to the same features already describedherein. In particular, and using the structure of FIG. 2 as a startingpoint, FIG. 14 shows a resistor trench 200 formed in the resistor 35.The resistor trench 200 may be formed using, for example, masking (e.g.,photolithography) and etching (e.g., RIE). In embodiments, the resistortrench 200 extends through the resistor 35 and stops on the STI 30. Inembodiments, the resistor trench 200 creates a hole through the resistor35, but does not bisect the resistor 35.

As shown in FIG. 15, the first dielectric layer 40 is formed on theresistor 35 and also and on portions of the semiconductor layer 25 andSTI 30, including conformally lining the base and sidewalls of theresistor trench 200. As described previously with respect to FIG. 3, thefirst dielectric layer 40 may comprise, for example, an oxide filmformed by thermal oxidation or CVD and a nitride layer formed by CVD.

As shown in FIG. 16, holes 45 are formed in the first dielectric layer40 and silicide contacts 50 are formed on the resistor 35 in the holes45. The holes 45 and silicide contacts 50 may be formed in the samemanner as described with respect to FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 17, a second dielectric layer 55 is formed over thefirst dielectric layer 40, a third dielectric layer 60 is formed on thesecond dielectric layer 55, and contacts 65 are formed through layers 60and 55 and in contact with silicide contacts 50. The second dielectriclayer 55, third dielectric layer 60, and contacts 65 may be formed inthe same manner as described with respect to FIG. 4. In accordance withaspects of the invention, the second dielectric layer 55 fills theremainder of the resistor trench 200.

As shown in FIG. 18, a substrate contact trench 210 is formed in thedielectric layers 40, 55, and 60, the resistor 35, the STI 30, the BOXlayer 20, and into the substrate 15. The substrate contact trench 210may be formed using one or more RIE processes, similar to substratecontact trench 70 described with respect to FIG. 5.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the substrate contacttrench 210 is substantially aligned with (e.g., coaxial with) theresistor trench 200 and has a smaller width than the resistor trench200. For example, the substrate contact trench 210 and the resistortrench 200 may be substantially co-axial along axis 212. In this manner,a collar portion 215 of the first dielectric layer 40 remains on thesidewalls of filled the resistor trench 200. In implementations of theinvention, the substrate contact trench 210 and the resistor trench 200are sized and spatially arranged such that the collar portion 215 has athickness of about 0.03 μm to about 0.1 μm, although other non-zerodimensions may be used within the scope of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 19, a core 220 is formed in the substrate contacttrench 210. In embodiments, the core 220 comprises a high thermalconductivity material. For example, the core 220 may be composed of thesame material and formed in the same manner as core 90.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, the collar portion 215surrounds the core 220 and electrically insulates the core 220 from theresistor 35, such that the core 95 does not short the resistor 35. Byelectrically insulating the core 220 from the resistor 35, the collarportion 215 eliminates the need for forming additional insulator film(e.g., such as insulator film 75) on the sidewalls of the substratecontact trench 210. In this manner, the number of processing stepsinvolved in forming the semiconductor structure may be reduced.

In embodiments, the collar portion 215 has a thickness that issufficient to provide electrical insulation between the resistor 35 andthe core 220, and that is less than the combined thickness of the STI 30and BOX layer 20. By being less thick (e.g., thinner) than the STI 30and BOX layer 20, the collar portion 215 provides less thermalresistance than the STI 30 and BOX layer 20, such that heat may flowthrough the collar portion 215 and core 220 and into the substrate 15.

As shown in FIG. 20, metal layer 100 is formed on the third dielectriclayer 60 and in contact with the contacts 65, and an interleveldielectric (ILD) 105 is formed over the entire structure. The metallayer 100 and ILD 105 may be formed in the manner described above withrespect to FIG. 10. The segments of the metal layer 100 provideelectrical connection to the resistor 35, and the ILD insulates themetal layer 100.

Aspects of the invention have been described with respect to apolysilicon resistor formed on an SOI wafer. The invention is notlimited to this particular type of resistor, however, andimplementations of the invention may be used with any type of resistor.For example, a substrate contact in accordance with aspects of theinvention may be formed through a diffused resistor or a refractorymetal resistor. Moreover, the invention is not limited to use with SOIwafers. Instead, aspects of the invention could be used with any type ofwafer, including resistors formed in or on a bulk semiconductor material(e.g., silicon) substrate. For example, the resistor used inimplementations of the invention may be formed on an insulator layer(e.g., an STI) formed in a bulk silicon substrate.

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram of a design process used in semiconductordesign, manufacture, and/or test. FIG. 21 shows a block diagram of anexemplary design flow 900 used for example, in semiconductor IC logicdesign, simulation, test, layout, and manufacture. Design flow 900includes processes, machines and/or mechanisms for processing designstructures or devices to generate logically or otherwise functionallyequivalent representations of the design structures and/or devicesdescribed above and shown in FIGS. 1-20. The design structures processedand/or generated by design flow 900 may be encoded on machine-readabletransmission or storage media to include data and/or instructions thatwhen executed or otherwise processed on a data processing systemgenerate a logically, structurally, mechanically, or otherwisefunctionally equivalent representation of hardware components, circuits,devices, or systems. Machines include, but are not limited to, anymachine used in an IC design process, such as designing, manufacturing,or simulating a circuit, component, device, or system. For example,machines may include: lithography machines, machines and/or equipmentfor generating masks (e.g. e-beam writers), computers or equipment forsimulating design structures, any apparatus used in the manufacturing ortest process, or any machines for programming functionally equivalentrepresentations of the design structures into any medium (e.g. a machinefor programming a programmable gate array).

Design flow 900 may vary depending on the type of representation beingdesigned. For example, a design flow 900 for building an applicationspecific IC (ASIC) may differ from a design flow 900 for designing astandard component or from a design flow 900 for instantiating thedesign into a programmable array, for example a programmable gate array(PGA) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) offered by Altera® Inc.or Xilinx® Inc.

FIG. 21 illustrates multiple such design structures including an inputdesign structure 920 that is preferably processed by a design process910. Design structure 920 may be a logical simulation design structuregenerated and processed by design process 910 to produce a logicallyequivalent functional representation of a hardware device. Designstructure 920 may also or alternatively comprise data and/or programinstructions that when processed by design process 910, generate afunctional representation of the physical structure of a hardwaredevice. Whether representing functional and/or structural designfeatures, design structure 920 may be generated using electroniccomputer-aided design (ECAD) such as implemented by a coredeveloper/designer. When encoded on a machine-readable datatransmission, gate array, or storage medium, design structure 920 may beaccessed and processed by one or more hardware and/or software moduleswithin design process 910 to simulate or otherwise functionallyrepresent an electronic component, circuit, electronic or logic module,apparatus, device, or system such as those shown in FIGS. 1-20. As such,design structure 920 may comprise files or other data structuresincluding human and/or machine-readable source code, compiledstructures, and computer-executable code structures that when processedby a design or simulation data processing system, functionally simulateor otherwise represent circuits or other levels of hardware logicdesign. Such data structures may include hardware-description language(HDL) design entities or other data structures conforming to and/orcompatible with lower-level HDL design languages such as Verilog andVHDL, and/or higher level design languages such as C or C++.

Design process 910 preferably employs and incorporates hardware and/orsoftware modules for synthesizing, translating, or otherwise processinga design/simulation functional equivalent of the components, circuits,devices, or logic structures shown in FIGS. 1-20 to generate a netlist980 which may contain design structures such as design structure 920.Netlist 980 may comprise, for example, compiled or otherwise processeddata structures representing a list of wires, discrete components, logicgates, control circuits, I/O devices, models, etc. that describes theconnections to other elements and circuits in an integrated circuitdesign. Netlist 980 may be synthesized using an iterative process inwhich netlist 980 is resynthesized one or more times depending on designspecifications and parameters for the device. As with other designstructure types described herein, netlist 980 may be recorded on amachine-readable data storage medium or programmed into a programmablegate array. The medium may be a non-volatile storage medium such as amagnetic or optical disk drive, a programmable gate array, a compactflash, or other flash memory. Additionally, or in the alternative, themedium may be a system or cache memory, buffer space, or electrically oroptically conductive devices and materials on which data packets may betransmitted and intermediately stored via the Internet, or othernetworking suitable means.

Design process 910 may include hardware and software modules forprocessing a variety of input data structure types including netlist980. Such data structure types may reside, for example, within libraryelements 930 and include a set of commonly used elements, circuits, anddevices, including models, layouts, and symbolic representations, for agiven manufacturing technology (e.g., different technology nodes, 32 nm,45 nm, 90 nm, etc.). The data structure types may further include designspecifications 940, characterization data 950, verification data 960,design rules 970, and test data files 985 which may include input testpatterns, output test results, and other testing information. Designprocess 910 may further include, for example, standard mechanical designprocesses such as stress analysis, thermal analysis, mechanical eventsimulation, process simulation for operations such as casting, molding,and die press forming, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art ofmechanical design can appreciate the extent of possible mechanicaldesign tools and applications used in design process 910 withoutdeviating from the scope and spirit of the invention. Design process 910may also include modules for performing standard circuit designprocesses such as timing analysis, verification, design rule checking,place and route operations, etc.

Design process 910 employs and incorporates logic and physical designtools such as HDL compilers and simulation model build tools to processdesign structure 920 together with some or all of the depictedsupporting data structures along with any additional mechanical designor data (if applicable), to generate a second design structure 990.

Design structure 990 resides on a storage medium or programmable gatearray in a data format used for the exchange of data of mechanicaldevices and structures (e.g. information stored in a IGES, DXF,Parasolid XT, JT, DRG, or any other suitable format for storing orrendering such mechanical design structures). Similar to designstructure 920, design structure 990 preferably comprises one or morefiles, data structures, or other computer-encoded data or instructionsthat reside on transmission or data storage media and that whenprocessed by an ECAD system generate a logically or otherwisefunctionally equivalent form of one or more of the embodiments of theinvention shown in FIGS. 1-20. In one embodiment, design structure 990may comprise a compiled, executable HDL simulation model thatfunctionally simulates the devices shown in FIGS. 1-20.

Design structure 990 may also employ a data format used for the exchangeof layout data of integrated circuits and/or symbolic data format (e.g.information stored in a GDSII (GDS2), GL1, OASIS, map files, or anyother suitable format for storing such design data structures). Designstructure 990 may comprise information such as, for example, symbolicdata, map files, test data files, design content files, manufacturingdata, layout parameters, wires, levels of metal, vias, shapes, data forrouting through the manufacturing line, and any other data required by amanufacturer or other designer/developer to produce a device orstructure as described above and shown in FIGS. 1-20. Design structure990 may then proceed to a stage 995 where, for example, design structure990: proceeds to tape-out, is released to manufacturing, is released toa mask house, is sent to another design house, is sent back to thecustomer, etc.

The method as described above is used in the fabrication of integratedcircuit chips. The resulting integrated circuit chips can be distributedby the fabricator in raw wafer form (that is, as a single wafer that hasmultiple unpackaged chips), as a bare die, or in a packaged form. In thelatter case the chip is mounted in a single chip package (such as aplastic carrier, with leads that are affixed to a motherboard or otherhigher level carrier) or in a multichip package (such as a ceramiccarrier that has either or both surface interconnections or buriedinterconnections). In any case, the chip is then integrated with otherchips, discrete circuit elements, and/or other signal processing devicesas part of either (a) an intermediate product, such as a motherboard, or(b) an end product. The end product can be any product that includesintegrated circuit chips, ranging from toys and other low-endapplications to advanced computer products having a display, a keyboardor other input device, and a central processor.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims, if applicable, areintended to include any structure, material, or act for performing thefunction in combination with other claimed elements as specificallyclaimed. The description of the present invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprincipals of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Accordingly, while the invention has beendescribed in terms of embodiments, those of skill in the art willrecognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications and inthe spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A semiconductor structure, comprising: a resistor on an insulatorlayer over a substrate; at least one dielectric layer over the resistor;and a substrate contact extending through the at least one dielectriclayer, through the resistor, through the insulator layer, and into thesubstrate, wherein the substrate contact comprises a high thermalconductivity material.
 2. The structure of claim 1, wherein thesubstrate contact comprises: a core composed of the high thermalconductivity material; and a liner between the core and the at least onedielectric layer, the resistor, and the insulator layer, wherein theliner electrically insulates the core from the resistor.
 3. Thestructure of claim 2, wherein: the insulator layer comprises at leastone of a shallow trench isolation and a buried oxide layer; and theliner has a thickness less than a thickness of the insulator between theresistor and the substrate.
 4. The structure of claim 1, wherein: thesubstrate contact comprises a core composed of the high thermalconductivity material; and a portion of the at least one dielectriclayer is between the core and the resistor and electrically insulatesthe core from the resistor.
 5. The structure of claim 1, furthercomprising a dielectric material between the high thermal conductivitymaterial and the resistor, wherein a thickness of the dielectricmaterial is less than a thickness of the insulator layer between theresistor and the substrate.
 6. The structure of claim 1, wherein: aportion of the at least one dielectric layer forms a collar around thehigh thermal conductivity material; and the collar electricallyinsulates the high thermal conductivity material from the resistor. 7.The structure of claim 1, further comprising: first and second contactsat first and second ends of the resistor and extending through the atleast one dielectric layer; a metal layer comprising segments on thefirst and second contacts; and wherein the substrate contact iselectrically insulating from the metal layer.
 8. The structure of claim1, further comprising a plurality of the substrate contacts through theresistor in a pattern based on predetermined hot-spots in the resistor.9. The structure of claim 1, wherein a size of the resistor and a sizeof the substrate contact are structured and arranged to achieve apredefined resistance value of the resistor.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one dielectric layer comprises: a first dielectriclayer comprising an oxide film and a nitride layer; a second dielectriclayer comprising nitride; and a third dielectric layer comprising oxide.